CAIRO, Egypt
Egypt has voiced anger after Ethiopia announced it had filled the reservoir at a highly controversial hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile river.
Ethiopia has been in dispute
with Egypt and Sudan over the megaproject since its launch in 2011. Egypt
relies on the Nile for nearly all its water needs.
Egypt's foreign ministry said
Ethiopia was disregarding the interests of the downstream countries.
Ethiopia says the $4.2bn
(£3.4bn) dam will not cut their share of Nile water.
"It is with great
pleasure that I announce the successful completion of the fourth and final
filling of the Renaissance Dam," Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said
on X, formerly Twitter.
He admitted the project had
faced "internal and external obstacles" but "we endured all
that". The dam began generating electricity in February 2022.
Ethiopia believes the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) will double the country's electricity output,
providing a vital development boost, as currently half the 127-million
population lacks electricity.
The plan is to generate more
than 6,000 MW at the dam, which is about 30km (19 miles) from Ethiopia's border
with Sudan.
Egypt and Sudan argue that
common rules for the operation of Gerd must be agreed, fearing that
energy-hungry Ethiopia may exacerbate their existing water shortages.
Negotiations over the project
resumed last month, having been suspended in 2021.
Sudan - currently mired in
fighting between rival armies - did not immediately react to Prime Minister
Abiy Ahmed's announcement on Sunday.
In a statement on Facebook the
Egyptian foreign ministry said Ethiopia's "unilateral" filling of the
reservoir violated a declaration of principles signed by the three countries in
2015, and branded Ethiopia's action "illegal".
"The declaration of
principles stipulates the necessity of the three countries reaching an
agreement on the rules for filling and operating the Gerd before commencing the
filling process," the statement said.
"Ethiopia's unilateral
measures are considered a disregard for the interests and rights of the
downstream countries and their water security, as guaranteed by principles of
international law."
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